Can you TRICK someone into loving you?
by XTheTricksterX
Summary: Niou harboured feelings for Yagyuu, Yagyuu sees Niou as a teammate and friend. Niou's desparate, but can he trick Yagyuu into loving him? Platinum Pair!
1. Chapter 1 Miyako

**DISCLAIMER: As much as I want to, I do not own Niou, or Yagyuu, or the Prince of Tennis...**

**Hey everybody! It's TheTrickster here! My first Fanfic, hope you like it. Please review, since they are really important and is what encourages me to write. Anyway, here goes.**

**-**PLATINUMPAIRRULEZ-

'Yagyuu-sempai!'

Yagyuu turned around to see Akaya, at the doorway of the student council room, panting hard. It was already dark, it being winter and all. Yagyuu had work to do as the president of the student council and he had chosen to do it after practice to avoid the punishment laps, unlike him, Niou didn't care about the laps, seeing how he didn't turn up for practice. 'Akaya, why are you still in school at this time?'

'Sempai, have you seen Niou-sempai?'

'No, I haven't. I thought he went home a while ago. Is it something you can confide in me?'

At this, Akaya seemed redder, it could be Yagyuu's imagination, so he shrugged it off. Akaya nodded slightly. Yagyuu had a feeling that it would take a while, he pulled a chair beside him and gestured to Akaya for him to sit down.

'So? It doesn't seem like a simple case of 'I-played-Hide-and-Seek-with-Niou-sempai-and-he-went-home-first' is it?' Yagyuu watched the kohai fidget uncomfortably.

It's true that in the whole team, Yagyuu is probably the most distant from Akaya but Akaya knew that they all cared for him. Yagyuu's formal manner did not seem to help as Akaya stayed silent for a few more minutes. During this moment, Yagyuu did a reflection of the day, what did Niou do to Akaya?

'Well...During lunch, I asked Niou-sempai to help me...'Akaya turned away. Yagyuu was a little surprised that the baby ace actually planned to talk. 'You see, there's this girl in Niou-sempai's class...I was asking Niou-sempai for what he called "professional help".'

As soon as Yagyuu heard the word 'girl' he knew what was coming. However, it was unfortunate that it wasn't something he can help with. Yagyuu was real popular with girls but he never loved one, or went out with one. And as far as Yagyuu's memory goes, Niou was never in love either, unless he went out with a girl in elementary, which would explain why Yagyuu never knew. But that was not likely. All he could do for Akaya was to listen to him and offer consolation or comfort where he can.

'Niou-sempai showed he to a place I've never been to before during lunch, it was behind the school's PE building.' Akaya continued, 'He told me if I go to that place after practice, he'll introduce that girl to me.' Akaya turned another shade redder.

At this point in time, Yagyuu was trying to figure out the name of the girl in question, since he was in the same class as Niou. He did not interrupt Akaya as it was not fitting to his Gentleman persona.

'When I got there, I didn't see anyone. I thought Niou-sempai pulled another trick and was given detention so I waited. After an hour or so, he still didn't come. I just walked around that spot he showed me and when I turned around the corner,' Akaya was on the verge of crying, ' I saw an arrow drawn on the wall, and beside it, it said something along the lines of 'your answer is here'. It pointed to a window, so I opened it.'

Yagyuu did not like where this was going, because if he can remember right, at the back of that building was the girls changing room, and today, the swimming club was on. Yagyuu knew Niou's personality inside out, since it was necessary to pull off the switching trick in the tennis matches. Poor Akaya, Niou had meant 'I'll introduce that girl to you _physically_.' At this thought, Yagyuu felt a little sick, not because Niou almost tainted Akaya's innocent mind, it was because Yagyuu knew exactly what Niou was thinking. He was under Niou's influence. Like many others, Yagyuu was being subconsciously attracted to Niou's weird mind. Yagyuu's case was severe: he was on _Niou's_ line of thinking. It couldn't be a good sign.

Akaya touched the right side of his head and Yagyuu noticed a bump, it was quite visible as Akaya brushed his hair out of the way to massage the bump to ease the pain. Yagyuu stood up, took Akaya and headed to the infirmary room.

Yagyuu fetched an ice pack from the freezer, wrapped a towel around it and handed over to Akaya. 'What did they do to you?' he questioned, no one in RikkaiDai's tennis club would stand by and watch when their ace was bullied.

Akaya turned his head so Yagyuu couldn't see his face. ' When I looked, they were changing, and they threw all sorts of stuff at me...'

-NIOUISTHEBEST—

Yagyuu sent Akaya home before returning to his own. He had gotten used to Niou's pranks and tricks but this one was unforgivable. Yagyuu had a good mind to teach Niou a lesson, Gentleman Style, of course.

Yagyuu finished his homework at seven, he figured he had plenty of time, to go to Niou's house and make him apologise, that is. Yagyuu put on his coat, slipped his phone and keys into his pocket and telling his parents that he was going to a friends, he left.

-YAGYUUISTHESECONDBEST—

Yagyuu rang the bell. 'NYA!' echoed the house. It was a really strange ring tone.

The door opened a few seconds later, Niou was standing at the door. 'Niou-kun, I just came round to ...'

Yagyuu was cut off, Niou dragged him by the wrist into a cosy living room. 'Take a seat, I'll get you some tea.' Niou look at him and winked, 'You are Masaharu's friend, right?'

Yagyuu was confused, Niou did not speak like that, he does not speak in third person. Yagyuu look at Niou with a suspicious look.

'Oops.' Niou smiled at him, and with a swift action of his right hand, he took the wig off, revealing a wave of charcoal black hair. ' I'm Masaharu's older sister, Miyako. Nice to meet you.'

Miyako took off her hoody, under which was a feminine body – the hoody was lined with foam boards on the inside to disguise that. 'I thought I could trick you, but I suppose I got a little arrogant 'cause I tricked his kohai with ease. I suppose it's not that easy to trick Masaharu's best friend...'

Now Yagyuu was genuinely dumbfounded. Miyako _went to Rikkai to trick one of Niou's kohais? And Akaya had enough bad luck to happen to ask Niou for help at this sort of timing?_

Yagyuu's eyes must have sought for an explanation as Miyako continued, 'I thought it would be fun to see what Masaharu's classes are like, so I locked him in his bedroom this morning and went to school as him. I happened to meet that cute little boy, the one with the ball-of-wool hair. He asked me how to confess to a girl. Well, being a girl myself and never having to confess to one, except the once, but that was a dare, I couldn't help him. He was so cute, I couldn't resist, so I decided to try my best. I drew an arrow on the wall I showed hi earlier, and when he opens the window, he should see, in very BIG letters – JUST GO FOR IT!'

Yagyuu was smart enough to figure the rest out: Miyako did not know that the room was going to used and whoever that came in, probably a cleaner, foiled her plan unknowingly.

Yagyuu relayed what happened in reality to her, Miyako apologised, and after having tea at Niou's, simply for politeness, Yagyuu returned home. He did not see Niou, but that shouldn't matter, seeing how Niou wasn't the one at fault. Anyway, he'd be faced with a certain number of laps tomorrow. Yukimura was never pleased when Niou skips practice and Yukimura is not one to mess with.

-ILOVENIOU—

**Ok, end of chapter one. Again, please review, I can't stress enough about reviews : It's what keeps writers motivated, it brightens my day to come home, turn on my laptop and find out that somebody reviewed. So please spare two minutes and make my day, thank you**


	2. Chapter 2 Anger

**Author's Note: Hi everybody, it's TheTrickster again. Thanks to everybody that reviewed! I think I thanked everybody either through a reply or PM. As for 'Tiffany F', sorry I can't find your profile, so I'll say my thanks here: Thank you! Thanks to everyone who reviewed(yet again), you guys really made my day! I'd say it was my happiest day in a while now! **

**Please review this chapter as well! It really keeps me going: reviews are us writers' special oxygen, if you like.**

**Anyway, here goes! This chapter starts in Niou's point of view, so it's gonna be hard to write...it will switch back to Yagyuu's view around half-way. And it switches yet again...it is confusing XD**

**DISCLAIMER: I want the Platinum Pair...Thanks to Konomi-sensei for creating this masterpiece (the prince of tennis). I do not own the Princes, but I dream of them.**

**Happy reading!**

-—

Niou dreaded going to school. He does everyday, but today especially. For the first time in Niou's life, numbers are floating in his mind. No, he is not going over the answers of his undone maths homework: he was trying to predict how many laps he'd have to run, so he has at least some mental preparation before Sanada lands the incredibly huge number on him, in laps of course.

Niou didn't know that dressing up as his sister and attending her date would get her so mad. Mad enough to go to school as Niou and not telling Niou what she did as him. _She probably totally ruined my image._ Niou never went on a date before, nor has he confessed to anyone. So he did not understand the importance of a date.

Niou showered, put on his shirt, leaving the top two buttons unbuttoned, and loosed looped his tie around his neck. He stuffed his blazer into his bag, grabbed his jacket and headed to school.

-YEAH!NIOU!—

Niou skipped the first class – maths. He just could not stand any more numbers. It has gone up to 80s in his mind. Oh well, he just have to face it – though it wasn't his fault, Yukimura probably won't listen and life was never fair. Niou knew this. It was one of the first things he learned in life.

When the bell rang for break – three classes later – he headed into the building. Obviously not through the door, Rikkai's rules made sure that you don't want to step through those huge doors once the first bell rang. Niou was prepared for this: he went through his personal entrance – the windows of the girl's changing room. No one would be there during break time.

As he approached the window, he shook his head disapprovingly at the graffiti on the wall. '"Your answer lies here"?' Niou read the scribbles on the wall. He shook his head again.

-NIOUxYAGYUU—

'Yaaa-gyu.' Niou placed one hand on the gentleman's shoulder. Niou had found his sitting in the canteen, alone. Niou secretly thanked that he has not met the three demons yet.

'Niou-kun,' the boy turned around, his glasses were gleaming. Niou didn't like not being able to see his eyes. 'Yukimura-kun was looking for you. So were your Maths, Physics and Music teachers.'

Niou sat down beside Yagyuu. 'I'm not feeling well, can you tell Yuki-chan I won't be in for the rest of the day?' Niou said, but someone else's voice overlapped his. It was the Master's.

Niou turned around. Only to see the materialisation of his dreaded nightmare.

'Tarundoru! Lying is not acceptable! Skipping practice is even more unacceptable!' Sanada glared at the silver-haired boy.

'But, I didn't skip practice, it was my sister!' Niou said desperately, knowing what he said won't make sense.

'Excuses, Niou, won't work. You know that, don't you?' Yukimura's cool voice was sent gliding down Niou's spine, 'Skipping practice when we are this near to the Nationals, Niou, you have some nerve.'

Niou looked to his doubles partner for help, only to find Yagyuu looking back at him emotionlessly.

-YAGYUU'SVIEW—

Yagyuu knew clearly it was not Niou's fault. But he can't help but feel a little angry at Niou. Yagyuu reasoned with himself : A little exercise can't be that bad for him. Until he went to practice after school.

'Niou!' Yagyuu heard, and saw, Sanada addressing the trickster, 'After the warm up, you can start running,'

'How many laps?' the boy expected this.

Niou loves standing up to authority and fooling those with a higher standing than him, when he gets his punishment, it means he rally annoyed them, and he enjoys it as a reward. But this time he really didn't deserve this. It wasn't him. Niou was frustrated. This much Yagyuu knew. He had been with Niou for so long. Too long, he thought, as his thought ran parallel to Niou's. He has got to stop thinking like Niou.

Sanada was about to say something when Yukimura spoke. 'Just start running, I'll tell you when to stop...'

'If I remember, that is.' Yanagi finished for him.

Yagyuu felt a little prick of guilt as Niou hang his head and started running. Yagyuu made a mental note of making it up to him, maybe during the weekend.

-NIOUISRUNNING—

Yagyuu watched Niou run as he stopped for a rest after his match. Niou was still running at a decent, steady pace..._wait a minute, something didn't look right..._

The sky was dark, even though it was barely past five. Niou looked a little...bright. The gentleman walked up to the running Niou. Except Niou had not noticed him.

As Yagyuu neared Niou, he decided to scrap the mental note. Yagyuu picked something up, and went to Yukimura.

'Yukimura-kun, I went to check on Niou.' Yagyuu approached the captain.

Yukimura turned to look at him, 'Has he escaped yet?' His voice was confident that Niou didn't dare, not this time.

Yagyuu held the hologram projector to the captain. 'It's Niou's.'

-NIOUISINTROUBLE—

Niou went home, whistling a random tune. The mastermind was pleased with his plan. He'd go back to school at around half past five, their practice usually ends at six, to retrieve the evidence and pretend he had been running all this time when Yukimura checks on him. Perfect plan. Niou put on Marui's voice 'Dou? Tensai teki?'. A wide grin spread on his face.

Niou watched T.V. , listened to his CDs. He read the manga he bought at the book store. He played 'Girls, Be Gracious!' on his DS.

Beep, beep. Niou looked at his phone. It was a message. He read it.

'Don't bother coming to school to pick up your gadget. You can exchange it for 200 laps tomorrow. Yukimura.'

-200LAPS200LAPS—

**So this concludes Niou's 'master plan' at skipping his punishment, I wish I could show you people my image of Niou's face when he saw the message, priceless :P. Hope you like this chapter. I personally don't like it as much as the last one...it felt like the plot wasn't moving on... I'm apologising in advance if I didn't write up to your expectations. Anyway, plz review and tell me how YOU feel, your reviews keep me happy, so make my day! And yeah, thanks again to my reviewers. P.s. please don't be too harsh on me... **


	3. Chapter 3 The freaky Niou

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **This is a long chapter, because I finally overcame the giant writer's block, which is the reason for my late update, that and the fact that internet hasn't been kind to me, it wasn't working T-T.

Thanks to everyone who read my story and reviewed, I am cheered up by them, and managed to sit my Maths exam without panic. At least, somewhere out there, there's somebody who appreciates me (and my writing). Continuation of the last chapter, and takes an unexpected turn, which I hope you would like. So as usual, please review, it'll make my day, I'm sitting my exams just now, so they'll definitely help!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE ****UPDATE****: As Midori-Emmi pointed out, I have rushed Niou's feeling a little, so here's the revised version, most of it is the same so I'll put UPDATE in bold at the changed part. The update continues till the end of the story. Please tell me what you think!**

p.s. Thanks to Midori-Emmi who reviewed and pointed this out. Also thanks to demoncat-13 and Tiffany for reviewing and supporting me!

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT or any princes, I dream about Niou every night, where he'd…..#Niou-fan kills me# ALSO if 'SPICY VILLAGE' IS A REAL SHOP, THIS IS A COINCIDENCE. I DO NOT OWN THE NAME OR SHOP 'SPICY VILLAGE'.**

**Anyway, please enjoy!**

**-**PLATINUMPAIRPLATINUMPAIR-

Niou looked at the message. _How did Yukimura find out?_ _Because while my double is running, Yukimura should be on the courts, like he always were. And the courts are a safe distance away from the field track. Sanada nor Yanagi had a habit of leaving the courts, so who was the one that blew my trick?_

Niou let out a sigh, whoever it is, he'll find out, and they'll have to pay. Nobody messes with the trickster and _get away_ with it. Nobody has and nobody will ever.

-YAGYUUISGOINGTOPAY-

Yagyuu headed home with no feelings of guilt: Niou had no reason to skip his punishment. Sure, it hadn't been his fault to start with – it was his sister's – but for someone who had lost a Singles match with _Seigaku_ during the Nationals, he could do with some training.

Yagyuu disliked those who broke rules, though Niou had been an exception to this, wait_, had_ been? Yagyuu questioned himself: _do I dislike Niou now? _No, he couldn't, he just simply cannot dislike Niou. Niou was his best friend, someone that was always with him. He turned around the corner, he was behind the building: as the president of the Student Council, he had decided to check if the graffiti was removed by the janitors. When he reached the wall which Niou's sister had drawn upon, he stared (because the gentleman does not 'gasp').

It was not removed, well in a way, it has been erased. By another piece of 'art' that now covers it. The wall is now radiant with splashes of yellow and red and black, the colours of Rikkai. On top of this collage of bold colours reside a portrait of the three demons, in blue, brown and purple. It also bears a line of bold writing – The Three DEMONS – it said. With the word 'DEMONS' decorated with horns and the like. Yagyuu was disgusted by the fact that someone would do this. _Which coward is it? _He thought, until he spotted something else. There was a tiny word, made by a biro pen, that read 'Puri~'. If he had any traces of lingering guilt before, for exposing his best friend's trickery, it all vanished.

-PURIPURIPURIPURI—

'Nyaaaa~' the doorbell of the Niou household echoed throughout the house. Niou was home alone since his parents were working and his siblings all had their own stuff to do. Niou was doing his homework, no, more precisely doodling in his book. He went downstairs to answer the door.

"Yaaaa-gyuu!" Niou was surprised at his friend's visit. Akaya had ignored him all day, for some weird reason that he did not know, so had Marui and Jackal (because Akaya told), so Niou was happy that Yagyuu came over.

He invited Yagyuu into his room. Yagyuu set down a heavy object he had been carrying, Niou looked at the huge plastic bag with curiosity.

"It's for you." Yagyuu smiled.

"Really?" Niou was genuinely happy. He opened the bag.

"It's for that wall you ruined." Yagyuu explained as the bewildered eyes of Niou stared at the tin of white paint.

"Hey, that's not fair! It's art! I thought our school always encouraged hands-on art!" Niou protested. He had shaken his head at the graffiti that (unknown to Niou) his sister had painted, because Niou's mother had always said to him that if you were going to do something, do it so you can be proud of it! So he decided to cover it up with his proud art and couldn't resist but to (practically) sign his name.

-—

Obviously Yagyuu had won the argument. Niou sulked after Yagyuu left him. He made a mental list of the stuff that had accumulated in his mind over the past two days: 200 laps; paint the wall; tell Akaya the truth (Yagyuu had explained and insisted on Niou telling Akaya); and the detention that without a doubt he'd get from his Maths, Music and Physics teachers. That's a long list. Niou sighed again.

_Yagyuu probably dislikes me now,_ Niou thought sadly. Yagyuu was his _best friend_, Niou couldn't stand the thought of his best friend disliking him. So, what does the Trickster do?

-NIOUXYAGYUU—

Yagyuu was just as amazed as their Maths teacher when Niou turned up _on time, _especially when it's the first lesson of the day. "Niou-kun!" Yagyuu whispered to the boy sitting 50 centimetres from him, "Niou-kun!"

"Shh…" Niou whispered back, "you'll get into trouble!"

Yagyuu thought something was wrong with his ears, no, there's _got_ to be something wrong with his hearing. Because he thought he heard Niou telling him not to get into trouble.

-NIOUNIOUNIOUNIOU—

Niou handed his homework in when the teacher asked for it, for every lesson; during break, instead of hanging out in the teachers' lounge, waiting for a chance to put laxatives in the coffee or something, he was out covering the graffiti on the wall with the white paint Yagyuu gave him; during lunch, he started to run the laps assigned by Yukimura; he turned up in time for the practice and Marui did not find his gum missing or stuck in his trainers whatsoever, in fact, his supply of strawberry-flavoured gum was replenished.

-NIOUACTINGWEIRD—

Yagyuu watched in pure amazement, almost fear, as Niou seemed to undergo a metamorphosis and actually acted nice. Yagyuu was changing in the clubroom for practice and out of the corner of his eye, saw Niou talking to Akaya. Yagyuu was scared, this was not the Niou-kun that he knew. The he saw, to his right, Yanagi's eyes were open. And the same mixture of fear and amazement were present in those brown eyes, though for different reasons. In Yanagi's case, it's probably because he didn't see it coming, and there are very few things that he won't see coming.

"Alright! 20 laps and the usual for warm up." Yukimura entered the changing room, where everybody else were changing or changed, "In five minutes." He added, seeing that Niou has yet to change out of his uniform(he spent the whole time talking to Akaya). Yukimura sensed something wrong, because everything was so…peaceful. There was no shouting from Marui at Niou for stealing his gum or screams from him because Niou offered him a trick gum nor was there a bucket of vomit because Niou offered Marui a well-disguised slice of eraser gum. There was no 'Tarundoru!' from Sanada because he was not met by a bucket of any dirty/soap/smelly/oily/sticky substance(because it is not necessarily water in the bucket). Yanagi was his quiet usual self, but his eyes were open, wide open. Yagyuu did not greet Yukimura with the usual 'Good day, Yukimura-kun' because he was too stunned by Niou's _normal_ actions. Akaya was not up in Yukimura's face, complaining about what Niou had done to him during the day. Nor was Jackal screaming 'fire!' in Niou's face for one of the meaner pranks Niou pulled.

Now, the bluenette turned to Niou, the centre of trouble before, who now, amazingly seems to be the key to peace in RikkaiDai. The silver-haired boy was changing, without any unwanted remarks or actions to any other members. Yukimura wondered to himself if the sun had risen from the west that day, or maybe it disappeared altogether.

Yukimura stepped out of the regulars' changing room into the sunny, warm outside. Nope, the sun was still there. It seemed to be musing at the weird, and wonderful for Yukimura because he's the Captain, turnout of events. Yukimura shook his head to himself in defeat, he couldn't, just couldn't figure out what is the source that gave birth to this weird Niou. He headed over to the non-regulars' changing room to issue the warm-up exercises.

"Niou-kun," Yagyuu jogged beside the boy, "What happened?" Yagyuu was so desperate that he almost said 'are you a substitute that an alien or some monster left behind as they took away the real Niou-kun?' but it was not something the Gentleman is likely to say, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Yagyuu!" Niou beamed upon seeing his doubles partner beside him, "I was working out this new formation last night." Niou completely ignored the question.

_So he was working out a new formation. Wait, Niou was _working _out a new formation! _Yagyuu was alarm that Niou can be related to the word 'work' in any way, and didn't know whether to cry out of joy or desperation. Joy because Niou is working for both of their sake, desperation because he didn't know how to contact the aliens or whatever that stole Niou to ask for him back. And this Niou, though he was nice, it totally creeped Yagyuu out. Because this Niou, well, he isn't _Niou_.

As the rest of the team ran their warm-up laps, Jackal quickened his pace so he was running alongside Niou. "Niou! What the hell happened?"

"Why's everyone asking the same question?" Niou looked at Jackal, "Nothing happened, why do you ask?" Niou seemed a little annoyed. If this was the Niou that they knew, they would have suffered an endless string of pranks for annoying the Trickster, but this Niou brushed the annoyance aside.

"Because you are wrong!" Marui interrupted them. "I mean, you are not Niou! 'Cause the Niou I know would have…I don't know…but not this! This kind of behaviour is not Niou."

Niou stared at Marui for his outburst. As Marui finished, they completed the 20 laps that was for warm-up. As Yukimura came over from supervising the non-regulars' warm-up, to issue them their practice drills, the Rikkai tennis team watched as Niou ran over the finish line and continued.

"Niou, it's 20 laps for warm-up." Sanada reminded him.

"Yeah, I know, Sanada-fukubuchou, but I still have another 37 out of the 200 laps that Yukimura-buchou gave me that I didn't manage this lunchtime!" Niou shouted back as he ran.

The rest of them stared in silence…"Did he say…" Marui gulped, "he said 'Sanada-_fukubuchou_', didn't he? And 'Yukimura-_buchou_'?"

Yukimura could only manage a slight nod of confirmation.

-NIOUISSTILLRUNNIN-

The rest of the regulars made their way to the courts, in absolute silence. None of them knew how much they'd miss the trickster who was nothing but trouble. But now, they know. Even Akaya murmured 'Niou-sempai' as if it was his funeral. It was, in a sense that the old Niou was no longer here. The practice went on without trouble, unlike most days.

When Niou finished his laps, he obediently went on to the drills, and the non-regulars' eyes were the size of tennis balls. Yagyuu looked really worried.

-TENNISBALLEYES-

That night, Yanagi was restless. He was the team's strategist, he was supposed to know both their mental and physical state. He was proud of his data. But this Niou, he was…it's not in the data! Yanagi never thought there could be a..a…a…nice Niou. He still could not think of it. Then it snapped into place. _If Niou is capable of acting Yagyuu, who is the epitome of manners, then surely…but then again, Niou is a man with pride, he would not do such a thing if he was not in the costume of another person. Niou always had pride in his own character, and would absolutely refuse to change unless it was for the sake of acting. Maybe there was something else, something that prompted Niou, that Niou, to discard his pride?_ The Master sat on the bed, his homework long done. He reached for his phone in his pocket, and dialled.

"Sadaharu? It's Renji."

-THEMASTER'SHEADACHE=NIOU-

Inui answered on the third ring. _"Sadaharu? It's Renji."_

"Renji!" It was rare for him to call Inui. "Is something up?"

"_Yeah…you know how I told you when you guys went to Yakiniku that your data from the Kanto rounds were useless?"_

"Yes," Inui confirmed, "because of a certain trickster called Niou, right? I was amazed when he played against Fuji-"

" ' _and as I had no data on either of them, the match proved very interesting and I was able to take down a notenook worth of data.' You were about to say."_ Renji finished for him, _"But back then, even though I had little data on him, there is…was nothing he could do to really surprise me,"_ the Master said with pride, _"But today, he…he caught me totally off guard."_ Renji admitted.

Inui stared into the space in front of him, _Renji? Renji being caught off-guard? _It was not something Inui can imagine, but if Renji claims it…there's no choice but to accept, right?

"Renji, tell me what happened." Inui demanded.

-OFFGUARDOFFGUARD—

Yagyuu stared at Niou. Niou was standing at the entrance of the empty classroom; Yagyuu was in the room. "I said, do you have anything I can help with?" Niou repeated his question.

"Niou-kun," Yagyuu struggled to find the right words, "why are you here?" Yagyuu had stayed behind to finish the work as the Student Council President after practice.

"I have detention so I'm staying behind anyway, so I figured you could use some help." Niou turned those green eyes on him. "If you don't want me to…" He trailed off.

"No, Niou-kun, that's not what I mean. I appreciate your offer." Yagyuu said honestly, "can you photocopy these for me?"

Niou nodded as he took the pile of paperwork from Yagyuu's hand and walked off.

_It's becoming creepier. Niou-kun normally hates staying after practice…Let along offer to help while staying behind. Could this Niou be Niou-kun's sister Miyako-san? No that can't be right, he changed in front of everyone for practice._ Yagyuu shook his thoughts away, he had to concentrate on his work. E_ven when Niou-kun is nice, he still interrupts my work in his own, unique way. _Yagyuu mused. Then he stopped. Was this all to get back at Yagyuu? For treating him a little too harsh because of the graffiti and all that? No it couldn't be. This indirect way is too much unlike Niou.

-PLATINUMPAIRRULEZ—NIOU'SFLASHBACK-

_An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth._

Niou knew this, but this isn't something he liked. If someone punches you, you beat the hell out of them: that's the way Niou lived. When he was bullied in Elementary school for his eccentric tastes, he made sure that those bullies couldn't come to school for a week; when Sanada slapped him, he made sure he got back at him in the trickster's unique way. But Yagyuu…Yagyuu was a totally different matter. Yagyuu knew too much about Niou. He knew every one of Niou's tricks and pranks.

When Niou was left with a tin of white paint, that night, he thought what Yagyuu told him over and over. Yagyuu had told him everything: what his sister did as him in Rikkai, what she told Akaya and that Yagyuu had told on him about his trick of the hologram double. Yagyuu's normal gentle voice was laced with unnecessary venom, and whether Yagyuu intended to or not, it hurt Niou.

Niou had spent a long time thinking that night, it's not something he did often. He thought it over and over again: many people had hated Niou, friends and enemies alike, and Niou hadn't a care in the world about what they think, he had gotten so used to this hatred directed at him that he didn't feel a thing anymore. So why did he care so much about what Yagyuu thought about him, so why did Yagyuu's words hurt so much?

**-UPDATE-STARTS-HERE-**

_Because he is my best friend? Because I had known him for three years? Because he is the one person that I genuinely give a damn about? _No, that was not it. Then what is the answer?

The Trickster gave up. He jumped on to his bed, turned his self so he was facing his pillow. He stretched his left hand and reached beneath his bed. He took several manga and magazines out. He had to hide them because they had exams coming and the boy was supposed to be studying. He didn't care, he'll do fine in the exam, because…he had Yagyuu to rely on. He used to have Yagyuu to rely on, not now, because Yagyuu dislikes him. He had always relied on the Gentleman. Not only during exam times, they had spent so much time together…

_Like that time, when we planned the switch during the Kanto tournament. We had such a fun time: going over to each other's and practicing the techniques. The difficulties of mastering the Laser Beam…And the week before the match, the time when we had decided to see the outcome of our hard work – we dressed as each other and went to each other's house. Yagyuu's parents never suspected a thing, I was so proud of my skills. Then again, Yagyuu was even more of a trickster – even my family didn't notice anything, my family, who are as cunning as can be…_

Niou couldn't concentrate on the 'Houkago no Ouji-sama' that he held in his hands. He closed the book and headed downstairs. As he past the clock, it was almost nine. _No kidding, no wonder I am this hungry._ Niou headed into the kitchen. Niou isn't a great cook, he wasn't feeling like bothering anyway. Niou shut the refrigerator with unnecessary force.

He picked up the landline, and dialled.

"_Spicy Village, what would you like to order_?" a lady answered the call, "_We have a range of pizzas, pakoras, curry and burgers-_"

Niou interrupted her, "I want a 12" pizza, I want four seasons topping, a large coke and fries." Niou ordered with a voice that sounds 30ish.

"_Would you like home delivery or would you like to pick it up?"_

"Delivery, the address is xx street, house number qq, and the post code is xxxxxxx."

-XXXXXXXXXX—

Niou opened the door. And the delivery man had the fright of his life.

In front of him was a two metre tall man. The face was covered by white paint; his eyebrows lined in with thick black paint in an arched line that gave him a cross-eyed look; his mouth was wearing charcoal lipsticks, with the corner of his mouth turned down in a displeased expression; there was also red paint that ran from his temples down the side of his nose, and across his cheek; his eyes were outline as well – upper eyelid in red and lower in black. His face presented a vertical line of symmetry. He had a waist length white wig on, as well an over-ornamented hakama.

All of this added to the threatening look he had in his eyes made a very bold picture.

"Uh…pi…pizza…de..delive…ry." the man's teeth were literally clashing against each other out of fear.

A painted hand reached out. The man screamed two octaves above normal and leaving the pizza box, turned on his heels and ran. Niou smirked.

He picked up the box and closed the door behind him. The guy didn't give him a chance to pay for it so it's not his fault, right? Kicking the specially-made geta that he had on to add to his height off, he set the box down on the dining table and went to undress.

Niou looked into the mirror as he washed the paint off his face. The dressing up was to take his thoughts off Yagyuu, he hadn't mean to scare the man. Niou had always found dressing as someone else help when he had worries/troubles. Because when he dresses as someone else, he instinctively put on another persona, a façade. One that would mask his own emotions, so that he can hide them, bury them and forget about them. Niou was never good at handling relationships and emotions. Surprisingly, he was mentally weak. Niou knew this, so he puts on the 'Trickster' façade. Even Yagyuu couldn't see past it. Beneath this mask, Niou is actually venerable.

Niou was perceptive, so he found it relatively easy to think in other's methods as well. But he couldn't figure out what Yagyuu was thinking. Why did Yagyuu dislike him? He had put up with so many tricks so what did Niou do this time to anger the Gentleman this much?

Niou couldn't figure it out. As he sat down at the table, dressed in jeans and a shirt, the doorknob turned.

"Tadaima, Masaharu!" Miyako's called out.

"Okaeri." Niou muttered, his thoughts still on Yagyuu.

"Oh~ you ordered something." Miyako put her bag on the sofa and sniffed the air, which was filled with the smell of cheese, tomato, pepper and the rest.

Miyako sat beside Niou, helping herself to a slice of pizza, "So, how's your day?"

Niou froze.

"What happened?" Miyako asked, waiting for an answer.

-NIOUXYAGYUU-

_She had laughed. That damn sister of mine actually laughed when I told her what happened. She laughed it off and said there's nothing wrong. Nothing wrong? The hell! Everything is wrong! I feel weird, Yagyuu hates me and I am losing the only true friend I have and she laughed it off! Like I'll ever tell her anything again. And she called me 'darling'!_

But Miyako had said something that bothered Niou, "_There's nothing wrong with what you are thinking, Yagyuu probably does dislike you. That you have to sort out yourself, but the way you feel, I can help. Your answer is simple. Masaharu, my darling – you are in LOVE!_" she had told him.

Niou desperately denied it. _How can I love my best friend, and in that way? _Niou had always thought he had a preference for girls, and he felt ashamed at loving a boy. Miyako had given as much comfort as she could to her little brother.

Niou curled up on his bed, thinking. _Do I or don't I? Come on, think, Masaharu! What if I do? _Niou snapped at himself for thinking that, _I don't! but then what can explain how I am feeling?_

Whether he liked it or not, it was the only logical explanation. _Because I love him. Because I love him that it hurts so much that he dislikes me. Because I love him that he matters so much to me. Because I love him that I care about what he thinks of me._

_Okay, so I do. I do love him, and? What about Yagyuu? Masaharu, be serious, _he told himself, _He hates you now, and you are hoping that he loves you?_

Niou felt depressed. He had finally figured out his own feelings, but he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't improve the dire situation.

Niou puzzled it overnight, and then he came to a conclusion.

_If it is for him, I can change. I'll change if it means he will like me. If I can get him to like me again, I'll be happy. I can't ask for more, can I? He is the Gentleman, and I am the Trickster, we are as different as two beings can be. So what more can I ask? I can't possibly ask for more…_

_But then again I am the Trickster. And I have my ways…I'll live up to my name, I'll show them what a trickster can do. I will have to attempt my biggest trick yet. I am going to trick Yagyuu Hiroshi into loving me. Because I may be happy, I won't be satisfied if Yagyuu doesn't LOVE me._

-PREPAREYOURSELFYAGYUUHIROSHI-

**Author's Note, again: **This chapter is confusing, isn't it? 'Cause it kept switching from Niou to Yagyuu and then to the Invisible Narrator (who apparently knows how everybody and the sun is feeling and all that)and Yanagi, who I find fun writing, and then Inui...and it goes on. Though it's supposed to be their view but I hate writing in first person, so it's all in third person (with the exception of thoughts), but it has their views and emotions so hope that counts. I'm going to stop rambling on now.

**Thanks for reading. Please review, I love reviews, because they really give me a boost, in my performance in exams and in writing, they are the reason authors write, so please give me a motive! **

Random Fact: Kabuki refers to Japanese plays and is the theme of Niou's costume. Did you know that kabukimono (mono means person or thing here) was used to refer to those who dressed bizarrely?


	4. Chapter 4 Yagyuu's limit

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Another long chapter, yay! A lot happens in this one and it can be a little confusing. If there is a part you don't understand, please feel free to put it in your review or PM me. I'll explain to the best of my ability. **

**Please review! Any advice or opinion is very much appreciated! and please tell me what you think of the UPDATED chapter 3! Hope it's a lot better.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE PRINCE OF TENNIS OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

**Anyway, here's the story:**

_I'll trick him. _Niou thought. _But how?_

For once, the Trickster had no idea. The sun had risen, marking the end of night, the end of the thinking time. So what does the Trickster do?

On the way to school, he came up with an idea. The plot was not well-constructed, because it was Niou's first time. It was Niou's first time in love, and his first time at tricking someone into loving him. That's not all, he was attempting to trick Yagyuu – his _best friend_, who knows _everything_ about him.

-TRICKINGYAGYUUWONTBEEASY-

Yagyuu looked up as Niou returned with the papers photocopied. Yagyuu took the papers, half expecting a mini-sized mouse trap or something in between the pile of paper. But nothing came. No sticky glue/disgusting substance of any sorts, on the bottom sheet of paper either. Niou was perfect in his behaviour, all day.

Yagyuu threw a suspicious look at Niou. _What is happening? Niou is acting the opposite of normal! Well, opposite of his norm. _Yagyuu was edging on desperation. He wanted to scream at Niou; shake him as violent as Yagyuu could by the shoulders, to try to shake some 'Niou' into him; but he was 'The Gentleman'.

Niou tilted his head to the side a little, Yagyuu snapped out of his thoughts. "Thanks, Niou-kun."

"Yagyuu, are you okay?" Niou looked worried, "you are acting real weird…"

That pushed Yagyuu over the edge. He let go of the pile of paper that he was holding; stood up, the force of him standing up while letting go of the paper sent them flying everywhere; Yagyuu's hands reached out across the desk he was sitting at; Niou took a step back by instinct, but Yagyuu caught him. Luckily, they were alone in the classroom.

The sun had almost totally disappeared. It casted a long shadow over everything; it dyed everything in a cool shade of grey-orange. The street lights flickered in the silence. The school was almost empty, with the exception of a couple of teachers working overtime; the janitors; the synchronised-swimming club preparing for their upcoming tournament; and the two boys, one staying behind to finish his work as the president of the student council. The other staying behind for detention.

Yagyuu pulled Niou over the desk, holding him tight by the collar. Time seemed to freeze as the awkward silence lasted and the sun went down.

Niou stared at Yagyuu for the action so unlike the Gentleman. Niou looked almost scared.

Yagyuu was amazed by his own actions. He had kept the Gentleman façade up for so long. For more than three years. Somehow, he always knew, deep down, that one day, Niou would shatter this façade.

Well, there was no turning back. Yagyuu gave into his desperation.

"Niou-kun! What happened? Where is the Niou-kun I know? Tell me!" Yagyuu couldn't hold his emotions in anymore.

"Yagyuu…" Niou's eyes were wide open. Fear seeped into his expression.

-YAGYUUXNIOU-

Niou curled up on his bed. Yagyuu's reaction was ideal according to his plan. Niou massaged his face gently with his fingers – smiling all day like an idiot was really hard on his facial muscles. Now when he thought about it, the time he used Illusion to become Tezuka was hard too. For roughly one hour he was Tezuka, had he stayed as Tezuka he might have won, but he had to switch. Permanently frowning was going to damage Niou's facial nerves.

Niou had broken out of Yagyuu's hold and sprinted out of the room. He wanted it to be dramatic after all.

_Sure, Yagyuu may know me thoroughly, but I know him better. He doesn't know that I have a façade, but I know he does. We are similar in more ways than you can think possible. Pushing Yagyuu over that emotional cliff was the way to shatter his façade, I know, because mine was shattered in a similar way: last night when I figured my feelings I didn't have that mask to protect me. Emotions bring out a side of people we never know, I guess. _Niou mused. _Step one was complete. _Niou hardly had any time to think out the plan. But he knew, if he wants to succeed he had to break through the barrier named The Gentleman. Niou thought his plan over. It was in two simple steps, simple when you think about it, not when you put it to action. The first was the easier one, but the next would be harder, he had to make Yagyuu admit that he likes the old Niou.

_Wait, if he admits to liking the old me…then does that not mean he loves my façade? _Niou racked his brain. But it had been a very tiring day, and Niou was exhausted. As he lay on the bed, he drifted off to sleep.

His plan wasn't perfect. Because feelings can be most unpredictable. Even the Master could not make head or toes of them.

-IMPERFECT PLAN-

Yanagi ended the call. He had told everything to Inui. And he could practically see Inui's glasses glint as Inui thought he had figured something out that Yanagi couldn't.

"_Renji, I think I know what is wrong with Niou. He was trying to disturb the mind of – "_

"_Someone in your team, and is possibly driven by something called emotions." Yanagi finished. He wasn't aware of this possibility before because, like the rest of his team, Yanagi had been disturbed greatly by Niou's actions that day. _By talking the whole thing over, in chronological order, he had casted a glimpse of light upon this mystery. Inui had assumed that Renji was never in love before, so he wasn't familiar with 'love'. But he was wrong.

But Niou liking someone in the team? As far as the Master was concerned, their sexuality was the same. Niou had preferred girls to boys according to his data. But assuming something happened last night that prompted Niou's unusual actions…What could it be? What is the missing link between yesterday and today?

Yanagi didn't like the feeling of unable to make sense of something. He sat at his desk, turned on the lamp, pulled out a note book that he had gotten from Inui and a pen from his perfectly organised drawer, and started to write. Yanagi made full use of his data that he stored in his brain. It was rare for the Master to need to write something down (other than things like homework, which has to be written) as he could almost always remember them. But this is a special case.

_**The day before yesterday – Niou didn't turn up at practice, he had skipped most of his classes but he was in school.**_

_**Akaya had stayed behind school for some reason unknown.**_

_**I walked home with Genichirou and Seiichi, Jackal and Bunta went to the game arcade, Niou had gone home at the end of school, without attending practice. Yagyuu stayed behind to finish his work as the President of the Student Council.**_

_**And as Akaya told me the next day, Yagyuu walked him home.**_

_So the key point of this day is what happened between Akaya and Yagyuu, as they made contact while in the school._ Yanagi thought.

_**KEY: Akaya and Yagyuu's possible interaction.**_

Yanagi added. Yanagi made a mental note of finding out the next day. For it could prove to be vital. He carefully tore the page out and set it aside. On the new page in front of him, he wrote:

_**Day 2 – Niou turned up late and skipped the first three lessons.**_

_**During break, Yagyuu and Niou made contact. Sanada had given him a 'tarundoru' for skipping practice the day before. Niou said "it was my sister".**_

_**Niou turned up at practice, and was ordered to run laps until told to finish.**_

_**Niou left a hologram double running for him. Yagyuu spotted it and told Seiichi.**_

_**Seiichi sent him a message telling him that he had 200 laps to run.**_

_**According to xx (Yanagi's reliable and secret intelligence) Yagyuu paid a visit to Niou after a trip to the local DIY store.**_

Yanagi turned this piece of data over and over again in his head. He noted :

_**KEY: "It was my sister" and Yagyuu actually told on his best friend. What happened at Niou's.**_

Though it could be because he is a 'Gentleman', and he didn't find skipping laps acceptable but Niou had always been an exception. Again Yanagi made a note of finding out what Niou meant and why Yagyuu decided to tell on him. And more about what happened in Niou's house.

_**Today – Niou turned up on time.**_

_**He had all his homework done.**_

_**Niou played no tricks. Niou bought Bunta chewing gum.**_

_**The clubroom was quiet.**_

_**Niou ran his laps at lunchtime and during practice.**_

_**Niou used honorifics.**_

_**Yagyuu stayed behind to so more work for the Council. **_

_**Niou attended his detention.**_

_Everything that happened today is weird and a key point_. Yanagi thought. _So the most important thing is what happened at Niou's house. _

Yanagi put his pen down. This was hard, even for the Master.

-PLATINUMPAIR-

Yagyuu sat down at the desk. He had probably scared Niou, seeing how he had run out. Yagyuu was shaking. He put his head in his hands. What had he done? What should he do now?

Yagyuu bent down and started to pick the scattered paper up.

Yagyuu reached out his shaking hand to the pieces of paper, a drop of salty water rolled down his cheek. Yagyuu stiffened. He didn't realise how much he was disturbed and affected. By Niou.

He stood up. He touched the teardrop on his cheek. He was shocked that he was crying. That the Gentleman broke down. That he was actually crying, in a public place.

He wiped the tear away hurriedly, afraid that someone might see him. He collected the paper up, and stuffed them into his bag, his actions were speeding up out of panic. He didn't know what was happening, to him, to Niou. He didn't know what was happening to anybody, anywhere.

He threw his bag onto his shoulder and ran. He ran non-stop, all the way home, picking the routes that usually had nobody or hardly anybody. Because the tears were also running down his cheek non-stop.

He was running blindly. Relieved that the sky was dark, and that his tears would probably be unnoticed. He slowed down as he entered a park. It was mostly deserted. He looked up for the first time since leaving the school. It wasn't a park he knew. He walked slowly, trying to gather his shattered mind.

In the dim street-light, through his steamed glasses, he made out a shadow. He instinctively took his glasses off, rubbed his eyes and his glasses and put them back on. Despite it was a façade to begin with, it was in his nature to be presentable at all times.

Yagyuu looked through his glasses, which are now visible through. It wasn't one person approaching him. It was a group. They looked like college students.

Yagyuu's instinct told him they were drunk. He stepped off the dimly lit path, and into the shadows, which were created by the clusters of tall plants and trees. They hid him well.

As they neared him, he could see them better. There were seven of them. Five of them looked foreign, and Yagyuu's instincts were right as two of them were holding half-filled bottles of alcohol.

Yagyuu stared as he saw that with the seven of them, was a girl of twelve. The girl had a very thin and large shirt on. The shirt was not hers, it was probably one of the guys'. Other than that, she had nothing on. She was scared, it was obvious.

Yagyuu watched as the girl's eyes darted everywhere, searching for help. Yagyuu felt sick, and he was weak. He couldn't help the girl, he turned so his back was to the tree, and back to the girl.

Yagyuu knew the consequences of losing his façade. He slipped to a sitting position, his knees up to his chin. Yagyuu took his mobile phone, waiting for the gang to walk out of earshot so he could call the police.

The tears that had temporarily stopped continued. He was frustrated, because he didn't have any power or strength. He put his arms around his knees, and pulled them closer to him. Even if it was a futile attempt, he tried to block everything out, the fact he had acted out of his character, the fact he frightened Niou, the fact that his façade had been shattered. His arms covered his ears, his eyes shut, covered by his forearms and his body stiffened so he would not feel anything.

The sound of glass breaking and shattering everywhere abruptly brought Yagyuu out of his own safe little world. It was followed by an ear-piercing scream.

Yagyuu's head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. There was crying, shrieking.

He peered over the side of the tree bark. The girl was sitting on the floor, cuddling her leg, which had a huge cut on it.

"I said open your ******* legs, you *****!" The guy with the ridiculously dyed aubergine-coloured hair surrounding the poor girl shouted.

The girl sniffed and shivered visibly. Yagyuu couldn't watch anymore. He took his racket and a few tennis balls out. He zipped his bag and put it back onto his shoulder.

He served, the one accurately making contact with the man with aubergine hair. Right at the spot that would hurt the most. He then served two more, simultaneously, at the feet of those who reacted fast. Then he sprinted forward, grabbing the girl by the wrist, which caused her to scream a second time, and pulled her into the shadows.

He carried her bridal style since she couldn't walk, not with that huge cut across her thigh. He ran, adrenaline pumping around his body. He clumsily climbed over the fence of the park, handling the girl with less care than he should.

Footsteps followed him. He glanced at the girl quickly, and ran with all his might. He had no idea where he was running to, and he forgot why he was even running. All he knew was, as the panic washed over him in waves, to run. It was only after a few moments that his brain registered that the girl was unconscious.

Yagyuu knew that he had to stop the bleeding but he couldn't while running. He turned around at as many corners as he can, in an attempt to lose his followers. He turned again, at a corner.

This time, he didn't continue running. He curled the girl up and crouched beside her, willing that the bushes could hide them well.

He heard the footsteps closing on them, they got louder. He heard them calling out to each other, but in the state he was, he couldn't make sense of the words. His heart was the loudest sound he could hear. His body was still shaking involuntarily.

The footsteps faded. Yagyuu wasn't sure though. So he strained to hear any sound that was present in the empty night.

There was only the uneven breathing and heartbeat that came from Yagyuu himself. He turned around to look at the girl.

When he turned his head away from the edge of the wall, for the first time, he was aware that there was someone else. The shadow was standing right before him.

The moon glistened behind the figure.

-YAGYUUYAGYUU-

Yuushi set down a cup of tea in front of the shattered Gentleman. They were sitting in Yuushi's room. It was well over-decorated.

"I really didn't expect to find someone hiding in my garden at such a time." Yuushi mused.

Yagyuu gave the bluenette a stare. The boy simply returned the stare with an apologetic smile half-heartedly.

After a moment of awkward silence, Yuushi assured him, "the girl will be fine, she's probably in the hospital by now." He looked at Yagyuu for a response that never came. "If you want, I can go down to the police station with you tomorrow." He offered.

The Gentleman only managed a slight nod. Yuushi was amazed. He didn't think he would ever get to see the Gentleman in such a state. Yuushi mused to himself and smiled inwardly.

Yagyuu was still shivering, he was ashamed that he behaved this way, that he showed weakness, in front of Oshitari, who he didn't know well. He had to focus all his energy on balancing on the chair. He felt weak. Blackness closed in.

-GENTLEMANPAIR=YUUSHIXYAGYUU-

Niou was disturbed out of his sleep by a nightmare. In his dream, he had been chased by the rest of his team, who were shouting at him for him to run laps.

Niou rubbed at his forehead. Exactly where did that dream come from? Well, dreams weren't supposed to make sense anyway.

Niou smile as his eyes met the framed picture of him together with Yagyuu. For today, he was going to be extra nice – by setting Akaya up on a date with the girl he liked.

Niou ate breakfast, and hurried to school so he was on time.

-PLATINUMPAIRNOMORE?-

Niou sat through his lessons in the morning, his attention only on the empty seat beside him. Yagyuu was absent. But why? Yagyuu was never absent before.

At interval, he decided to call Yagyuu's home. The call was answered before the fifth ring.

"Hello? It's Niou here, I was wondering if Yagyuu was unwell…"

"_Niou-kun!" Yagyuu's mother sounded stressed, not a good sign. "He stayed at a friend's last night, he came back at around 11, he was escorted by the police and that friend, apparently he got into some sort of trouble…he's in his room now, he won't open the door."_

Niou calmed himself down, "Can I visit him after school?"

"_Of course, he might open the door to you."_

Niou shut his phone. He would keep his worries about Yagyuu at the back of his mind until after school. He had a ton of questions but it won't do to see him right now. Not after what happened between them and whatever happened last night. Niou knew, his plan of tricking Yagyuu was destroyed, because whatever that happened last night wansn't a part of Niou's plan.

But Niou wanted to continue the plan. It just need to be altered a little, he assured himself. The Trickster set out to find Akaya.

-SHATTEREDPLAN-

Niou walked over to Yagyuu's slowly, giving himself time to choose his greetings and words carefully.

He rang the doorbell. Yagyuu's mother opened the door. "I'm glad you're here, Niou-kun."

Niou was relieved when he realised that the friend that was over was no longer there. Mainly because he didn't know who it was and he would have no idea how to deal with them.

Niou headed up to Yagyuu's room. The door was locked. Niou used called out to Yagyuu softly. "Yagyuu, it's me, it's Niou."

Silence followed. Niou had a very bad feeling. He knocked loudly several times, and called his name, Niou's voice rising each time, in volume and in pitch, with more panic weaved into it each time. Every time he was met with silence. Niou put his shoulder to the door and he forced it down.

-CLIFFHANGER-

**Hope you liked this chapter. Like I said in the author's notes, please review! They give me motivation!**

**I know there is a little of the Gentleman Pairing in this chapter (YagyuuxYuushi) but it WON'T happen. Because Yagyuu belongs to Niou and vice versa. Please tell me what you think about this chapter. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5 Missing Yagyuu

Hi! It's TheTrickster with the next chapter of 'Can you trick someone into loving you?'. First of all, a huge thank you to those who reviewed, you have made my day, and please keep on supporting me. This chapter does not move the plot on much but it is vital so please bear with me for this chapter. **Also if you have a minute, tell me what you think please! **Thoughts and flashbacks are in italics, you guys are smart people, you'll know which is which.

DISCLAIMER: I **DO NOT** OWN THE PRINCE OF TENNIS OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! Though, like every Tenipuri fan out there, I wish…but that wish is never going to be fulfilled. #goes to cry#

As Niou put his left shoulder and his strength, fuelled by desperation, the door frame gave way, centimetre by centimetre. Everything seemed to have happened in a millisecond and in slow motion. It was one of those moments that nothing seemed to make sense.

The lock pushed against the wooden frame of the door, which was fragile in comparison to the metal bar. The wood cracked, split, and the metal bar forced its way through from vault of the frame where it had resided.

Niou, who had been leaning against the door with all his might, lost his balance as the door collapsed. Niou put his right foot forward in an attempt to balance himself. But to his surprised, he didn't force the door open: he had forced the door and its frame off. That didn't matter to Niou though. All that mattered was Yagyuu.

Yagyuu's room had always been tidy, and everything had its own place: his jacket would be hung on the peg behind the door, his bad would be upright by the foot of his bed, his desk would be empty save the lamp and a couple dictionaries.

The room Niou saw, was not Yagyuu's. It was the room of an insane person.

The bag was on his table, its contents spewed out, onto the desk, the bed beside it and onto the floor. There was a mug on its side on the carpet, the coffee staining the pale blue into a shade of brown-black. The wardrobe was left wide open, the clothes lay on the floor looking as if someone ransacked it. The bedding was on the floor and the bed was stripped down to the mattress. There was paper everywhere, the little bin under the desk had been taken out and emptied right in the middle of the room before it was ravaged. The few posters and paintings that had decorated the cream coloured wall were torn.

Niou couldn't believe that he was standing in a Gentleman's room.

-PLATINUMPAIR4EVER-

_"Sorry for intruding!" 12-year old Niou called out as he entered the door of Yagyuu's house for the first time._

_"Niou-kun, you are welcome." Yagyuu's mother smiled her greetings._

_Yagyuu took off his shoes as he said: "I'm home, mother."_

_Yagyuu took Niou's bag and jacket, like the perfect Gentleman, and hung them up on the pegs._

_Niou looked at the house with a curious eye – it was the first time he had been to a friend's house, because he never had any people that close to him. Rather, he had never let anyone be this close to him before. The porch he had come through was immaculate. The hanging baskets by the door were well-kept. The red and yellow flowers had presented a cosy feeling. The hallway was not too narrow; it wasn't wide either. A cupboard was beside the door, from which Yagyuu took out a pair of slippers for Niou. As Niou walked into the living room, he was met with the subtle fragrances of lavender and sandal wood. The fragrance was ever so slight._

_In the centre of the room was a round rug, which was cinnabar in colour. The colour harmonised with the wooden floor well. There were two arm chairs and a 3-seater, each had a couple of cushions on it. The coffee table presented a vase of orchid and a TV remote. By the right side of the door was a wall unit which covered the entire wall behind the door. It was magnificent as its centre unit, which had a door of glass, harboured many of the golf trophies and the like that Yagyuu had earned. Niou marvelled secretly at the plates, cups and trophies. On top of the left unit, which was right next to the door, was a long, thin vase of a couple of roses, one red and one yellow. There was also several miscellaneous decorations like a miniature globe and a miniature golf set. Niou didn't pay much attention to them but his perceptive eyes told him that none of those items were out of place._

_Through the two French windows the garden could be seen: the rose bushes were well kept, there was also a bench along one side that displayed the bonsai trees in their pots, which were apparently colour-coded by the tag attached to each one._

_Yagyuu's mother came out of the kitchen, holding a tray of biscuits and two cups of tea. She then left the two friends to talk. It was quite awkward, as they were each other's first friend. And none knew the right words to speak back then._

_As Yagyuu sipped his tea quietly, Niou broke the silence, "Yagyuu, can I see your room?" He immediately regretted as his question was followed by more silence that was even more awkward than before._

_"Sure." Yagyuu finally spoke. "Would you like me to take the biscuits upstairs too?"_

_Upon seeing Niou's nod, Yagyuu picked up the tray and led Niou up the stairs._

_Niou was excited and became more so because of Yagyuu's silence that followed his question. Niou suspected that the silence followed because Yagyuu's room was such a mess that he didn't want Niou to see it._

_Yagyuu entered the room, and put the tray down on the desk. "I'll go get us some more tea." Yagyuu said as he saw Niou's cup was empty. He headed downstairs._

_Niou, in the meanwhile, stood by the door. His mouth was slightly open: the room was…immaculate. The room looked so neat and tidy like a perfect painting that Niou didn't dare to make himself comfortable by sitting on the bed – for fear that he may disturb the scene._

_Yagyuu returned with a teapot, and saw Niou standing at the doorway, like how he had left him. "Niou-kun," Yagyuu called to him, getting his attention, "are you okay?"_

_Niou managed a little nod, and went to sit down on the bed. He made a mental note of spending at least 3 hours on tidying his own room before ever inviting Yagyuu over – he wouldn't want Yagyuu to see his room in its current messy state._

_Niou wasn't a messy person, he was a lazy person. Niou's room was out of order, but not outrageous. If Niou wanted to find something, he could as fast as someone with a tidier room. Niou had preferred his room 'cosy' and 'comfortable' instead of 'presentable'. But it won't harm to do a little tidying, once in a while._

-NIOUXYAGYUU-

Niou's eyes frantically darted from one corner of the room to another. This wasn't the room he knew, but more importantly, he could not find Yagyuu anywhere.

Niou walked over to the window, and peered down. Horror surfaced on his face as he confirmed his suspicions: the window was about 1cm ajar, and the rose bush that was directly beneath the window was wrecked.

Niou rushed downstairs, as he bolted through the living room to the front door, he shouted to Yagyuu's mother "Oba-san, Yagyuu isn't in his room, call the police, I'm going to see if I can find him!"

-MISSINGYAGYUU-

I have no idea what I was doing, where I was going; all I knew was that I couldn't take it anymore.

"_Oshitari-kun," I looked at him, we were in my room. He had been very helpful at the interrogation down at the police station. "Thank you." I have said it countless times, this morning, and last night. Oshitari-kun was very friendly, he cooked me a delicious meal, and tended to all my mental and physical needs, despite that it was very late when I intruded his house. At this thought, I added, "I am sorry to have troubled you so much."_

" '_Yuushi'," he turned to look at me in the eye, his deep blue eyes were mysterious and…somewhat playful. "call me 'Yuushi'." _

"_Yu..Yuushi-kun," I stuttered a little, I never called anyone by their first name, except for my little brother. And it felt weird, in a good way. _

_He smiled at me. That smile was so alluring…I couldn't resist but return it. He stood up and walked over to the bed, where I was sitting, and sat beside me. I was a little uncomfortable; he was so close to me, our hands were almost touching. _

"_Hiroshi," I was startled by his intimacy. Only my family had called me Hiroshi, and Niou-kun, when he teased me. He ignored my expression and continued, "are you sure you are going to be okay? If you want, I can stay with you a little longer."_

_As much as I know I wasn't going to be okay; I wanted him beside me, in fact, anyone beside me, I couldn't say so. I have already been such a nuisance to him, and we were only acquaintances_

"_I'll be fine." I assured him. _

_He turned to walk away. Then he stopped. He turned back, plotted a gentle touch of his lips to my forehead and walked out. I was stunned by his actions. If I didn't owe so much to him, if I was not in this situation, I would have protested. But I did nothing. That gentle kiss offered comfort, in a way. It told me that I was not totally alone but I knew that was not the case._

_As soon as he left I felt the emptiness close in on me. I was truly alone. I had Niou-kun before, he was always by me, he was always there for me, I could always rely on him in hard times, but at this moment he was not here. Where was _my_ Niou-kun?_

_I pulled my knees up to my chin. I buried my face in my arms, like I did not long ago. And the feelings, sensations, the memories flooded back._

_The moment that I took action to protect Nanako-san, that was her name, as we had found out later. The fear that washed over me, the realisation of the fact that I was alone; I had nobody by me. I gripped my arms tighter around me. The confusion during that chase. I was on the run, possibly for my life, and hers. The feeling of being the prey, that feeling of terror, in that darkness. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I was alone anyway, so I opened the floodgates. I let them all out. Those pathetic salty drops that flowed like rivers on my face were hopefully washing the trauma away._

_Then there's Niou-kun. The moment he surfaced in my mind, my tears stopped temporarily. I had loved him, all these years. But I couldn't have said a single thing. I knew that deep down, he was fragile, like me. I had so many chances to tell him, in the past three years, but I couldn't bring myself to. I knew he liked me. But he liked my exterior. He liked my façade. So I kept on acting. Because even if he would never like the true me, I could at least savour his feelings for the Gentleman. I curled up, the silence of the room deafening me. I had done so many horrible things to my Niou-kun without myself knowing. I had betrayed him, I had punished him, but why? What for? _

_I wanted him to notice. To notice_ me. _To notice the true me beneath my mask. So I did things that did not suit my demeanour. Though I really did think that the graffiti was uncalled for. But I had showed traces of intentional venom in my words to him that night. I had hoped that the perceptive Niou would question himself, question me. I had wished that he'd suddenly realise that he loved me, as I loved him. But such things are merely fairy tales. Even so, I had wished, and hoped._

_But why was my Niou acting in such a way? Did he realise my feelings and decide to make fun of it? Because he preferred girls to boys and thought I was abnormal? Does he see me as an inferior? I shivered at that thought, I couldn't bear it. I couldn't bear Niou hating me. I squeezed my eyes shut tight. As tight as I could, even though it hurt. As if I could shut reality out of my dream._

_I heard mother's voice shortly after a knock. "Hiroshi?"_

_I looked at the door, where the sound came from. That noise was salvation. It saved me from falling any deeper into the dark and silent abyss. Thanks to her, I was, even if just temporarily, distracted from my thoughts._

"_Would you like something to eat?" I could hear the worry in her voice._

_I was hungry. I haven't eaten a thing since the night before. But I knew I wouldn't be able to keep any food down. I said, in a voice she could just about to make out the words, 'no, thank you, mother'._

_I heard her footsteps down the stairs. She was probably really worried. I whispered a sorry and a sincere thank you as I reached out to the bottle of Paracetamol. My head was aching for a long time, I just didn't realise it because I was so deep in thought. _

_I screwed the lid of the bottle open, and tipped two round 500mg tablets. I gulped them down without water. I slipped into a more comfortable, lying position. I closed my eyes, told myself to think no more and simply sleep. When I wake up, everything would be fine, everything would be back to normal._

Of course it didn't. Things in reality are never as simple as that. They always had to be complicated. I knew, if my dream, my ideal future was represented by a simple strand of glucose, my reality would be represented by something like glycogen.

So many paths to choose from, so many doors to open: so many wrong turns one can take, so many doors one can shut. If there was a good side, there's always the bad one.

I walked slowly on the path. I wasn't aware of where I was going. By the time I realised it. I was walking up the path to Oshitari's front door. Subconsciously, I must have known that he was the only one I could rely on. But I didn't know, at that time, I was walking into a trap.

-NOCLIFFHANGERSTHISTIME-

Yuushi offered what Yagyuu wanted. Distraction. Yuushi sat Yagyuu on the sofa, turned the TV on. The TV played a romantic movie, but Yuushi wasn't intending on watching it. He turned the volume down until it simply became a quiet drone in the back ground. The thick navy curtained were shut, blocking sunlight out. The huge ceiling light was turned off, the wall lights were on, but they were dim, only light enough to give the room an orangey glow. The aromatic candles flickered. The scent of the incense infused more romance into the atmosphere. The fire burned passionately at the cedar in the fireplace. The flames licking every crack on the wood.

Yuushi had successfully made Yagyuu drunk. It was pretty easy; Yagyuu wasn't much of a drinker either. He gently pecked Yagyuu on the cheek. His hands moved swiftly from one button to another, leaving Yagyuu's chest exposed to the warm air. He brushed his lips against Yagyuu's, and he licked him.

-POORNIOU-

Niou ran. He searched practically everywhere, and Kanagawa was a huge place. He looked into every sports shop, every park, and practically searched every corner. He made at least 40 calls to Yagyuu's mother, eager to hear some good news, but each time, he was let down.

Niou panted, he had run all the way to Tokyo. He hoped that by furthering his search range, he had a better chance at finding him.

Niou ran through the brightly lit streets that were so unfamiliar to him. Would Yagyuu even come to such a place?

Niou asked whoever he got a hold of, "have you seen this person?" he'd ask in a desperate tone, he'd show them a picture of Yagyuu, and they'd say "No, I'm so sorr-" and Niou would run to the next person without a rest.

The sky was dark, but Niou didn't notice, his world was dark. Without Yagyuu, there was no light in his world. Niou's voice was losing its volume, it was becoming coarse, he had drunk nothing and eaten nothing the whole day. He had been running. Asking, begging even, for Yagyuu's return.

The panic level surged as the clock reached midnight. Niou had exhausted all his strength. No matter how strong physically he was, he had to stop. He collapsed on a bench in an isolated park.

Even as he tried to catch his breath, his eyes was casting hopeful glances around, trying to find that boy. Then his eyes caught something. It was a huge residential building. What he found queer was that out of the three floors, all of the lights were on except the three dark windows on the first floor. As Niou neared the building with interest, he noticed that the light was on, but it was very dim.

Niou's instinct tried to tell him something, but Niou couldn't figure out what exactly. He climbed into the garden, and very carefully, he scaled a tree that enabled him to get closer to the dim-lit room. He balanced himself very carefully as he peered through the slit that the curtains offered.

It took a moment before Niou's vision adjusted to the dim light. Then he saw. Though it was vague, but he was sure of what he saw.

A figure was on top of the very boy he was looking for.

Despair washed over Niou. Yagyuu had another lover. And on top of that, a lover with the same gender as Niou. Niou felt utter despair. That and nothing else. He had just lost the very thing he had worked so hard to try to obtain – Yagyuu's love, and now he lost it.

Niou was about to jump down from the tree when he saw something. Something that offered him hope. And light.

Yagyuu was furiously trying to push the figure off.

-PLATINUMPAIR?-

**Author's Note:** I know the story is a little clichéd, but please put up with it. I think that the characters might be a little OOC. **Please tell me what you think.** If you think the same, please let me know how I can improve it without changing my plot totally. Also, I have said before, writing in first person is NOT my forte, so if I made any mistakes or I didn't make sense or it was really unlike Yagyuu, or all three, (hopefully not) please let me know. I wrote such a long passage in first person because I know I am not good at it, so **please help me to improve**. Anyway, I apologise in advance for leaving you guys with a cliff-hanger, yet again. Please look forward to the next chapter! It should be soon, because I have an exam in a couple days and after that I'll have an exam-free week, which means I could, hopefully, upload another 2 chapters before my next exam.


	6. Chapter 6 Love can't be tricked

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here's Chapter 6. Please enjoy it. I should have uploaded this yesterday but I was watching 'osananajimi'. It's a japanese movie about a love triangle. It's something Yuushi is likely to watch...

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS OR ANY OF THE PRINCES.

-CONFESSION-

Yagyuu's attempts were futile. Yuushi was stronger than Yagyuu, who was in a terrible state, both mentally and physically. Yagyuu's arms stretched as he tried to push Yuushi away. He focused all his attention on pushing Yuushi away.

Yuushi caught Yagyuu's arms with his hands, and forced them down above Yagyuu's head. Yuushi ignored Yagyuu's verbal resistance and kissed him on the jaw. His tongue slipped out and he traced the Gentleman's collarbone with it.

Niou was raging.

How dare that blue-haired ******* touch _his _Yagyuu like that? Niou slipped down the tree as quiet as he could, careful not to step on any loud twigs. Niou scurried around the huge back garden, looking in the bushes and the grass.

_I guess this should do…_Niou looked at the largest rock he could find disappointedly. It was slightly smaller than a full-sized football.

Niou spied for an open window or door next. With some luck, he found one. Niou took a step into the house.

Niou took off his shoes and whispered into the empty and brightly lit room. The room was nothing short of a grand hall. _Seriously, _Niou thought, _I am sure this isn't Atobe's house…I guess there's more than one __narcissist __in this world. _

Niou wondered if there would be any guards or butlers or maids like Atobe did. He was careful in his approach. It took Niou a whole 15 minutes to find his way to the staircase. While he was getting lost in this ridiculous waste of space, Yagyuu was in deep trouble, and that thought frustrated him.

Yagyuu struggled with all his strength, but his weak resistance only seemed to fuel Yuushi's pleasures. Yagyuu couldn't really see his whereabouts as clear as he had wished, due to Yuushi removing his glasses. Yagyuu closed his eyes, he tried to shut everything out.

_How did it come to this? I thought Oshitari-kun was the only one that I could open up to, even if just a little. Niou!...I guess…I don't have the right to call out to him now…not after what I did to him…_Yagyuu squeezed his eyes tighter._ I am sorry, Masaharu. I am sorry…_

Yuushi paused as a tear rolled down Yagyuu's cheek. He smiled. Yuushi lowered his head until it was hovering just above Yagyuu's head, close enough to touch.

Yagyuu had his eyes shut, and his mind was full of regret,_ I could have just left it. Then we would at least stayed friends. I am so stupid…why did I have to risk everything? Why am I so stupid? Why? WHY? If only…if only I could turn back time…I didn't know there would be a time that I would think like this, that I would wish for something that is obviously impossible, something that's so childish. Why is it childish? Because I am not a kid anymore, I should have made all by actions with care, so that I would not have to regret. As an adult, I should take my responsibilities. I guess I brought everything onto myself… _

"_You know," Niou had looked down, his eyes mature for once which is unlike him. He continued, "Even if you can't just now, just so you know, anytime, anytime," he said, looking up, his eyes slightly betraying him – showing desperation. Yagyuu looked at Niou, was this another trick? A tease maybe? "Anytime you want, you know I am always here for you, if you can open up to me, I don't know…I think that would make me the happiest man in this universe, dead or alive." Niou smiled at him as he finished, his smile was genuine._

_I had totally forgotten about it. I think it was in first year, wasn't it? I had dismissed it as Niou's teasing. Why did I remember this now? Is my brain racking up random stuff to keep me distracted?_

…_No…it can't be…Niou meant it? _Yagyuu's eyes opened.

Yuushi's tongue was midway in reaching that tear that still resided on Yagyuu's face. Yuushi was startled. Those yellow-brown eyes were full of surprise and joy.

_He loved me. Why did I not realise this earlier? Niou loved me. He loved me all this time._ Yagyuu's joy was soon followed by pain. His actions would have hurt Niou more than he first thought if Niou had loved him. _I owe him more than just an apology._

Yuushi climbed off Yagyuu. He threw a thin blanket over Yagyuu. Yuushi smiled at Yagyuu, this time his smile was not evil, it was full of relief. "I guess you realised it." He sat on the couch opposite and looked at Yagyuu without guilt, "I am more than relieved to be able to stop there," he eyed Yagyuu's bare chest, "but I'd be more than happy to continue."

Yagyuu stared at him. His mind must have been playing a very distasteful trick on him. First, Niou loved him all this time, and secondly, Yuushi stopped assaulting his out of his own will!

Yagyuu wanted to demand an explanation, but knowing that he is the weaker one here, provoking Oshitari in anyway was not something he wanted.

Silence filled the over-sized room.

-YUUSHIYUUSHI-

Niou waited outside the room in silence. The only sound was the noise of the fire licking the wood inside the room. There was no sound of resistance, moans, groans or anything of the sort.

Niou weighed the rock in his hand. Can he throw this thing with accuracy at that figure? Would it knock the guy out without killing him? Niou didn't want to kill the guy, yet.

"You know," Yuushi's deep voice was projected across the room and reached Niou. Niou instantly recognised the voice, and knowing who it is didn't help his anger. Niou strained his ear to keep track of the voice, at least judging from the soft voice and the fact there was no sound of resistance, Yagyuu didn't seem to be in immediate danger. "When I first met you, I knew I liked you."

Niou was startled by this sudden confession. Startled but moreover, raged. _How dare he assault my Yagyuu and then say you like him?_

Niou peeked into the room slightly. By the candle light, he could see Yagyuu's silhouette and Yuushi's. Yagyuu was now in a sitting position. Yuushi was sitting opposite Yagyuu, his elbows on his knees.

"I first saw you in the library." Yuushi reminisced, "It was not nothing like 'love at first sight'. No, it was nothing like that. It was more of an 'attraction at first sight'. I liked you but I don't think I loved you. I won't say that. It wasn't like that."

Yagyuu stayed silent. So did Niou.

"Becaused I have Gakuto now," Yuushi looked up at Yagyuu, and smiled. "I know what love is now. What I felt for you was just a little above friendship. I have Gakuto now, and I love him with all my heart."

Yagyuu was even more confused, _if he loves Gakuto, then why?_

Yuushi saw the confusion. He smirked. Yuushi got up and walked towards the door. Niou backed off a little step. Yuushi opened the door fast, and dragged Niou in.

"Niou-kun." Yagyuu was surprised at the Trickster's presence.

_Great! _Niou thought._ So much for my 'grand entrance'. Damn him_. Niou glared at Yuushi.

"I did what I had to. You too are…how should I put it? Too shy? No, 'shy' is too weak a word to describe you two. More like, let's see, yep. You two are like cute snails."

Yagyuu shuddered at the thought of being called a snail.

"You ******* *******!" Niou was definitely insulted. His left arm swung up, holding the rock in his hands. Only for his arm to be intercepted by Yuushi.

"Let me explain." Yuushi led the easily-provoked Trickster to the table and poured him a cup of milk tea. "You know, you should have realised your feelings for each other a long time ago. But you two, upon every little hint dropped by the other, upon every touch, you curl back into your shell, your façade. Your progress was really at a snail's pace." He paused before continuing.

"Well," Yuushi stood up, walking to the door, "persistence pays. Even at a snail's pace, things can be achieved. I praise your 'never-give-up' attitude, and I'll award you your privacy." Yuushi kept that smirk on his face, bowed and closed the door behind him.

Niou was sitting beside Yagyuu, hardly 30 centimetres apart. Yet they seemed to be light years apart. Niou felt the tension in the air. He didn't dare to turn to look at Yagyuu. He didn't even dare to breathe properly. He sat there. Just like that.

Niou stared at the space before him, and at the fire place which was in front of him directly. The fire licked the wood greedily. The wood released an aroma around the room. The incense had stopped burning a while ago. Niou looked at the curtains beside the fire place. Through the little slits the first rays of sunlight invaded the room.

Niou's body wanted to move, to put more wood into the fire; to burn some more incense; light the candles that went out during the length of the night; to shut the sunlight out. He wanted to do so because he wanted this moment to last. Despite there was no contact, no conversation, no eye-contact nor was there any sound other than the fire and breathing, Niou enjoyed and savoured Yagyuu's presence.

Niou couldn't move. Yagyuu's head rested on his left shoulder peacefully. His eyes closed, the thin blanket draping across his body, outlining his figure.

Niou blushed slightly at the contact that he wasn't aware of. Niou stroked Yagyuu's hair gently. Parting his hair properly. Niou slipped his left leg behind Yagyuu's body, swung the other leg onto the couch, and turned his torso to face Yagyuu, so that Yagyuu was practically resting on top of him. Niou slipped into a comfortable position, with the tip of his nose touching Yagyuu's soft hair, pulled the blanket on top the two of them and placing a kiss on Yagyuu's head lightly, he whispered, "Aishitteru, _ore dake no Hiroshi_."

-PLATINUMPAIRFULFILLED-

Yagyuu stirred a little. He was hungry, and the effect of the hangover didn't help. He felt really bad. He opened his eyes a little, only to close them instinctively as the rays of sunlight illuminated the white shirt that Yagyuu was looking at. Yagyuu adjusted to the strong light, and saw that he had been sleeping on top of Niou. And on top of that, in between Niou's legs.

Yagyuu could feel the temperature rising. He hurried off the sleeping Trickster. Yagyuu found his shirt where Yuushi had left it and put it on. He then turned to look at the peaceful Niou.

Yagyuu smiled to himself. After what happened the night before, he could look at the whole thing in a new light. From this perceptive, it seemed funny. Three years, it took them three years for them to realise the existence of the fact that they have loved each other from the beginning. It really is 'snail's pace'_. Anyway, this is the new beginning, what past is the past, now, we have a new future. I really need to thank Oshitari-kun._

Yagyuu knelt by the couch. Niou's innocent sleeping face was…cute. It was like another Niou, really the opposite of the Trickster. Yagyuu leaned closer.

Niou's sharp crystal greeny-blue eyes flew open and a mischievous grin spread across his face. Niou only had to move less than 5 millimetres and their lips touched.

-FIRSTKISS-

Yuushi almost jumped. He had prepared the snail-like lovers' breakfast and was standing outside their, no his living room. They seriously made themselves at home, right? He looked at his watch, half two. What exactly did they do that kept them in the room for so long? Yuushi shook his head at his own imagination.

But that noise. It sounded painful. Yuushi shuddered. Would Gakuto slap him if he found out? Would it sound as painful as this?

He knocked, and left the meal at the door. He would talk to them later, but he has to explain to Gakuto why he rejected his calls the night before, Yuushi knew that if Gakuto found out, he wouldn't get away with a slap. He's so possessive, isn't he? Yuushi mused as he walked away.

Yagyuu opened the door as Niou rubbed the left side of his face. It must have been bright red. "You slapped me." He said to Yagyuu accusingly.

"Yes, and?" Yagyuu looked at him. No guilt showed.

Yagyuu set the tray on the table. As they ate, Niou looked at Yagyuu with those puppy eyes. When it had no effect upon Yagyuu, he changed back to himself, and said, in Yagyuu's voice, "That was extremely unlike a Gentleman, Yagyuu-kun, is it not?"

"Niou-kun, I thought you wanted to see my 'true self', no?"

Niou was surprised he had remembered. His smile brightened and he nodded eagerly, like a kid.

Yagyuu leaned across the table, Niou felt his heart beats accelerate and he closed his eyes, holding his breath. He felt something slightly cold and smooth touch his lips lightly, he opened his mouth invitingly, and Yagyuu thrust his hand forward. The hand that held the block of butter quarter-wrapped in kitchen towel, that is. Niou choked. Butter is rich and tasty, if applied in thin layers on bread, as a block, it was disgusting and definitely oily. Especially full-fat butter.

Niou covered his butter-smeared mouth with a handful of kitchen towel that he grabbed instinctively off the tray and stared at Yagyuu. Only to see Yagyuu cuddling his stomach, laughing.

Niou's eyes widened. Yagyuu was behaving out of his character, in front of Niou. Niou really would have felt the happiness that surpassed those any other human felt, if he didn't find the urge to vomit the butter that was melting in his mouth.

Niou ran outside of the room and flung open every single door in an attempt to find the bathroom. _Where did that ******* find the need to have so many rooms? _

Niou found the room, the walls and floor marble, the taps on the sink gold, the cold water tap decorated by a single sapphire and the hot water tap a ruby. Niou couldn't throw up into such a sink, so he rushed to the toilet. The he stopped. The toilet was…

Niou ended up throwing up into the garden. Obviously not by the rose bushes, he threw up into the compost bins.

Yagyuu stood by the window, looking at Niou's figure, leaning into the bins, and he smiled. It was the first time in ages that he showed his true self. It had been so long since he laughed like he did. It had been so long since he was this happy. He felt so light, with the weight of his façade gone.

Niou turned around to see Yagyuu smirking at him by the window. Niou ran back in doors, muttering "Yarou."

Niou opened the door to the room they were in. He didn't stop running until he was no further than 10 centimetres from Yagyuu.

"I love you." He said, the redness blossoming on his cheeks. And before Yagyuu could respond, he pulled the Gentleman into a loooonnnng kiss.

-PLATINUMPAIR-

_I guess that counts as a failure, doesn't it? My plan to trick him into loving me, I mean. Am I the one tricked? Did Yagyuu trick me? Did Oshitari trick me? No, I don't think so. I don't think love can be tricked. All this must be fate, the red string of fate, between me and Yagyuu. I hope the string that binds us together is not as fragile as it sounds, for we still have a lot of obstacles to overcome._

_So much for my 'greatest trick ever', eh? In the end, it turned out that he loved me too, perhaps longer than I did love him. Either way, I am glad we ended up together. I am starting to get Kikumaru's "doubles are forever" thing. No, wait, does that make me similar to Kikumaru? I don't want that. Anyway, I can only wish this lasts. And I really need to thank Oshitari, maybe I should play a prank on him? Would it work? I mean, he isn't your average guy, is he? _

_As for Yagyuu and I-_

"Masaharu." Yagyuu opened my bedroom door, I hurriedly covered my diary.

"What is it?" I put the little notebook in my drawer, and stood up.

I walked up to Yagyuu, and stroked his cheek, to his jaws, down his neck and traced up his collarbone. He grabbed my arm, hard. "Hiroshi!" I protested.

He pulled me closer, until our lips met.

-SWEETENDING+NOCLIFFHANGERS-

A/N:This story has been changed several times while I was writing it. Faoiltierna has pointed out that Yuushi was a little OOC, thank you for letting me know. So I knew I had to make Yuushi a good guy...So I'd like to say thank you to Faoiltierna for contributing to this story. I'd also like to thank Faoiltierna for reviewing every one of my chapters; I'd also like to thank demoncat13 for reviewing all 5 chapters so far; and a special thanks to ChitoseSenri and Midori-Emmi for supporting me on this story. Of course, to all my reviewers and supporters:どうもありがとうございます (Domo arigatogozaimasu/thank you very much).

And I think this story is going to continue, but I may write it as a sequel. Please give me your opinions on this. As ever, all reviews are very much appreciated.


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